WVNews reports that WVU Medicine United Hospital Center (UHC) broke ground last week on a two-story, 62,000-square-foot, $48 million outpatient surgery center on three acres adjacent to the hospital on its Bridgeport, W.Va., campus. “The outpatient surgery center will better position UHC to improve access to world-class surgery care and enhance…
According to a new study published in Health Affairs, prices rose 11% at ASCs after they were acquired by Optum, a sister company of UnitedHealthcare. Healthcare Dive has an analysis of the study. It reports that the price hikes are “probably because the newly acquired providers were able to negotiate higher…
Taking a fresh look at your facility’s efforts to prevent surgical fires? Richard Parker, MBA, CHFM, CLSS-HC, FASHE, FACHE, associate director, physical environment and life safety at Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC), last week wrote about the five key components of surgical fire prevention. The article, published by Healthcare…
Two U.S. Congressional Representatives – Dave Taylor (R-OH) and Carol Miller (R-WV) – last week introduced a bill that they hope becomes a law called the Defend Rural Health Act. The bill aims to “protect the integrity of federal rural health benefits” by eliminating the “dually classified” loophole that the two…
The OR Business Management Summit, produced by Periop Leader Network, kicks off today in Austin, Texas. Attendees, speakers and exhibitors have arrived, with some joining us for a football viewing party last night. We have an incredible lineup of speakers on hand, and our agenda is jam-packed with insight, advice, guidance…
The cover story of this month’s edition of The Bulletin, the monthly member magazine of the American College of Surgeons, describes the cost of robotic surgery as a “complex equation.” The article poses this question: “While research and surgeon experiences paint a positive trendline for use and outcomes of robotic-assisted surgery,…
On Jan. 22, Albany Med Health System wrote of a “forward-thinking vision” that it said will strengthen the community impact of one of its hospitals, Columbia Memorial Health (CMH) in Hudson, N.Y., ensuring the care it provides “remains modern, accessible, and responsive to local needs well into the future.” It…
A raging fire destroyed the orthopedics wing of Lehigh Valley Hospital-Dickson City (Pa.) Wednesday night, forcing the evacuation of 77 patients, including six in ICU, according to local PBS/NPR affiliate WVIA. The station reports that, thankfully, there were no injuries to patients, staff or firefighters. Dickson City Fire Chief Rich…
Current Clinic, which describes itself as “the first healthcare network in the United States focused on atrial fibrillation and cardiac arrhythmia care” delivered through an “ASC-based” model, said it successfully completed its first cardiac ablation procedures late last month at its Carlsbad, N.M. location, calling them “the first cardiac ablations…
ASC development and management company Compass Surgical Partners has partnered with local physicians to develop and launch the Cardiovascular Surgical Institute of Northwest Florida, which began performing cases at its Panama City location last month. The 8,000-square-foot outpatient facility offers interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, and vascular surgery procedures. Compass, referring to…
